1.5 is alive, but only just

As of 7.13am GMT on Friday morning, when the new draft cover declarations were finalised,1.5 was still alive. Just.The declaration relating to the Paris Agreement - which set up the ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5C degrees above pre-industrial levels - still includes a call for countries during the coming year to improve their nationally-determined contributions to cutting greenhouse gas emissions before 2030.But the pressure on them to update and toughen these plans has been softened.It is now a "request", rather than being "urged". And there is a loophole that these accelerated emissions plans should be based on "national circumstances".This will be seen as letting China, the world's largest emitter, off the hook, since it is massively dependent on coal-fired power and it has only promised that carbon dioxide emissions will peak by 2030.That said, the declaration still retains a reference to "accelerating the phaseout of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels" - which again represents a lesser emphasis than in the earlier draft but is still seen as something of a miracle by UN and British negotiating teams (it may well yet vanish from the final text).The big unanswered question is whether the richer countries will do enough to provide money and commitments to help poorer countries protect themselves from inevitable climate damage and to develop their economies.The success of these negotiations - arguably the most important to the security and welfare of the planet than any in a generation - hinge on that single question.